Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-30
CIVIL SERVICE.
COMMISSIONER oBgBLY AND THE I'LL
SoIs DEMOCRATIC ASSOCIATION.
ALt,ter Defining Why Be Cannot Address
the Body- What the Csmmis-
sion Holds.


mental service. Mr.. Opcrly declined
10 address them on the ground that it
would be an improperly on his part,
rs lie is iuirusted with the administra-
tion OF non.partisan law, TO participate
in partisan demonstration. Mr.. Obcr-
" maintains that this rule holds good
also as 10 civil service examiners that
tlcv have no night 10 take any part in
partisan meetings. The Illinois Demo
cratic Association, he said, was an or
pauizaiion Of Office holders, and that it
cannot. I'm his opinion, exist Withol. It's
members violating several Of the penal
clauses Of the civilservicc law. lie
1uaintains that the law forbids such or
CARNATIONS.
Mr.. Cherry says: q have como TO
the CorcmI0n that | cannot accept the
invitation II the Illinois Democratic
Association courtcouIy extended 10 me
10y Won as committee Of that body
without violating unofficial obligation
The commission holds that entrance to
and continuance in that part of the eX-
tcutive civil service known rs
the classified civil service should
le upon the merit Of the apph-
can't or employee without regard
f. lis political opinions or utilization.
This position is justified by many CON
sidcmtions. all of which lead irresis,i
lily to the conclusion that the civil
lcIyicc act o. lsN3 was enacted for the
purpose Of providing non-partisan ser
vice. It follows, therefore, that this
law should he executed in a
strictly non-partisan manner, and
from tins proposition logically fol-
lows the conclusion that an officer
charged with its execution cannot
Ice effective in the discharge of
that duty if 10y = tive participation
i'm party politics ne destroys the con-
fdencc Of the public in his fairness and
impaTtinliiy. A civil service commits
sioucr or civil service examiner as a
member Of political committee or as
"a member, patron, or encounger OF a
political association, composed Of per
sons IN tie public service, all members
Of one political party, organized for the
purpose If putting certain political
partisans iutO and of excluding
certain other political plrtisans
from Office, would certainly toe
out Of Place, aud the public would be
justified I'm the conclusion that IA the |
q discharge OF lis Official du'i,s %" mi 5ht |
lear unfairly against political opp)
ucuts and bear partially toward party |
friends. lhccOmmisSiOn has expressed |
The opinion that Republican IN the |
public seryir- La, a night to entertain |
strong p0liticai views, and to give at !
the proper time strong expression To |
those views. lu this connection the |
commission has said that the opinion |
IS not 10 he tolerated that because
man occupies place in the classified
civil service he must therefore surrcn-
der lis night to take an interest in the
1ult,cs Of Lis country. No good cih
r.a viii DO So, and no degree of ac-
tNi'y iu the effort e. advance the in
tI,-t Of tine party opposed to the Adj
um-tm'ion should. provided his par
u,.a activity in DO way interferes with
I-utlc duties, render insecure in the
feuIo,oithc Governmentthe positiOuof
uY person who does not occupy
place. the discharge Of the duties Of
which Affects the public service. This
position may loo perverted into an ap-
I.MAucc Of Inconsistency with the posi-
Ton That tie Illinois Democratic As5O-
cl'iou may not with proprlety be pa
tluM1,d or encouraged. It may be +
leh that there can be no legal or other
good objection that can be urged
against tine policy of the Demo
crats in the public service organizing
as Won have done for the purpose
81 being active in the effort 20
promote the interest Of the Admiuistr3-
ton IN other words, 1t may be said
that there is an unwillingncss on my
part to give to Democratic Office
holder the same partisan privileges that
are accorded as of right 10 a Repubh-
can Office. holder. Candid consideration
of the Illinois Democratic Association
IN the light shed upon 1t 10y several see
tons Of the ciyll-scryice act VIII, how
ever, show Yen that my objections to
such associatiOus-tO partisan asaocll-
tons Of Office holders are based upon
strong foundation, which no partisan
eopmstry can destroy or even weaken. w
Mr.. Ohcrly h,rr quotes sections II,
Is, and 3D. OF 3d.. ctl,-srirJe act,
which lI Mrit r,hu,d assessments IN
any shape and provide II penalty for
violation, and proceeds: lit should
not be- forgotten that the provisions OF
the civil ,Tylce act 20 which i have re-
fcrred, and other similar propositions
OF that act, were passed while the
Republican party was IN power,
and when 10y pcrvertiuS instrumcntai-
ties the Republicans were using the
public service for partisan purposes
when the Republican party was filling
the civil service with men and women,
not because they would be efficient
public servants. bat for the reason they
Cr their friends had been active IN all
yancing the political fortune OF some
member Of that party when, having
thus appointed men aud wo-
m,n for partisan reasons only,
the Republican party then
robbed them by assessments and by
solicit tio..s accompanied by open
or hinted threat OF dismissal when,
for The purpose OF making its frequent
attempts at this kind Of robbery ef-
fectiyt. organized Republican State as
fociatOns, and used them II taking |
irom the purses q its victims money
lLaA Was DttNth IA tut oAi l'"As ".'N' 80 |
cation Of families dependent upon the
Persons who were compelled to heed
Tic partisan demand to stand and de-
liver
at should not be forgotten 10y Demo
Gratis that the penal sections OF the
evil service act were aimed al this syS
ten Of robbery by assessment and So
licitation, and at all iBstramentalltles
by which that systein was made effective.
lhs Democrats applsuded the enact
mont Of those provisions and congratu-
lated themselves upon the probability
that they would destroy malign inhu-
tnces Of the Republican State assocla-
tons located at Washington and give
70 tie Democratic party fair chance /
IN a fair fight for the presidency.
"In this the Democrats were not mis-
taken. Tie penal clauses OF the civil
service act did break the power Of the
partisan collector who robbed the
clerks Of the departments by usiug
Republican State associations as ms !
Weapons Of assault and ne his burglar
IOOls. Over this result the Democrats
rsjoiced, and in 1881, ia